Zodiak International to Showcase Broad DISCOP Lineup

LONDON, June 2: Zodiak International heads to DISCOP this month with a
diverse range of titles, from dramas like Wallander, starring
Kenneth Branagh, to prime-time entertainment formats like the celebrity game
show Stars on Stage, among other offerings.

Adapted from three of Henning Mankell’s bestselling novels, Wallander
is
a detective drama that stars Branagh as an inspector who resolves shocking
crimes in the Swedish town of Ystad using unorthodox methods. The drama is produced
by Yellow Bird, part of the Zodiak Television Group, and Left Bank Pictures for
the BBC and directed by Philip Martin (Prime Suspect: The Final Act). Sharing
distribution rights with BBC Worldwide, Zodiak International handles sales
throughout Eastern Europe, the Baltic states, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and
Benelux. Zodiak has already brokered deals with TV4 in Sweden, TV2 in Norway,
DR in Denmark, MTV3 in Finland, Lumiere in Benelux and Svensk Film for its
pan-Scandinavian feed.

In other fare, Zodiak will showcase the ten-episode travel series This
is our Travel Show, following four groups of youths as they set off to
discover parts of the world they have only previously dreamed about, whether their destination is the Baltic
states or the French Atlantic coast. Meanwhile, the 30×30-minute crime-themed
clips show The Fuzz, from
Bullseye Productions for Nuts TV in the U.K., will be on offer as well. Each
episode of the show also highlights Fuzz Classics, which bring back some of the
scariest crashes and unusual criminals featured on television.

On the formats front, Zodiak’s lineup includes Stars on Stage, which was originally devised by Zodiak subsidiary MTV Mastiff Sweden
and sees celebrities performing duets with well-known singers. Over the course
of ten weeks, a panel of music-industry experts and the viewing public will
vote to find the best pairing. Stars on Stage has been licensed to a variety of broadcasters
worldwide, with a deal recently concluded with Channel One in Russia, and sales
to Armenia’s Public Television, TVI in Portugal, RTV Slovenija, ANTV Indonesia,
Record TV Network in Brazil, ONT in Belarus, Inter TV in Ukraine and Sahara One
in India. Another game show, The Majority, developed by the Zodiak Distillery, will also be available. To win
the game, contestants must determine whether their knowledge or opinions are
shared by the majority or a minority of people in the country. Contestants win
money with each correct decision and can take what they’ve won and leave
whenever they like, but as soon as they guess the wrong outcome to a question
they leave with nothing. One season of The Majority aired in Finland and has been recommissioned for a second
season.

—By Irene Lew